Why Am I Leaking?
Hi everyone, it’s Erienne here. I want to talk with you guys today about leaking, and how the pelvic floor is involved in leaking.
When people leak, they often think, “Oh, my pelvic floor must be weak, I am going to do a bunch of kegels as hard as they can to strengthen that pelvic floor.” While pelvic floor weakness can cause some leaking, it’s definitely not the only issue we see. I want to talk with you about three other things related to the pelvic floor that could be causing leaking.
- Number one is our pressure management. We have a certain amount of intra abdominal pressure, that kind of waxes and wanes throughout the day. If that pressure isn’t managed well, it just continues to increase and puts more demand on the pelvic floor as the day goes on. And that is going to leave you with an overworked, fatigued pelvic floor. One that is unable to do its normal tasks – like preventing leaks.
- Number two is our strategy or how we use our pelvic floor. Some poor strategies include something like max contracting, every time I try to use my pelvic floor. Or trying to hold my pelvic floor every single time I do jump ropes for the entire time. Or maybe we’re just not activating it at the right time. All of those are poor strategies that can be worked on to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your pelvic floor.
- Number three, at the opposite end of the weakness spectrum, is an overactive, always-on, tight, pelvic floor. If our pelvic floor is at this overactive stage, it’s not going to be as readily available to absorb demands such as running, jumping or sneezing because it’s already at that tight phase. And that can cause leaking!
Those are just three of the different issues with the pelvic floor that can lead to leaking besides weakness. Pelvic floor physical therapy can definitely help you tease out kind of where you’re at with these issues. It can also get you an exercise program that is specific to you that can help with your leaking issues.
Our Mission:
Here at Peak Endurance Performance & Physical Therapy we help active adults in the Madison Area get back to the activities they love without pain or limitations. We see people of all ages, ability levels, and individuals trying to get back to a multitude of movements including: getting back into running, women postpartum, CrossFit athletes, climbers, gymnasts, wrestlers, overhead athletes, and your recreational weekend warrior. If you’re looking to get back to the activities that give you meaning, relieve stress, and make you feel like you again, feel free to reach out below and we’ll see if we’re the right fit for you.